EagleRock's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Zen Plants]

Potential, but doesn't work

I tried the game, and it looks beautiful. I personally would love to have played this game through and given it a great score, maybe even favorited it. However, it looks like the game does not work.

I tried to play level 1 of the plant game, and tried to find the right conditions for the game. I ended up trying 111, 222, 333, and 444 to see if I could find any of the conditions. However, I could get any conditions matched no matter what I did. I even tried the game in two web browsers (Internet Explorer and Firefox) to no avail.

It looks like it could be an actionscript issue with the game that can be easily patched up. Once it is, you can try resubmitting it, when I would be more than willing to give you a great score!

Good luck!

[YOUR FACE (light)]

A fun diversion

I was initially thrown off by the title (it sounded as if it was an insulting flash), but was pleasantly surprised when I played around with the game for a while. The game is very good for what it is: a simple gadget that let's you make funny-looking faces, which you can print off and share with your friends.

The game itself is a very simple one. Normally, a game like this wouldn't do well, but what makes it stand out is the art-style of the author. Not only does he make hilarious body-parts (which make for hilarious faces), but the hand-drawn style is very attractive and does well to make the flash more enjoyable. In fact, when you print it off, it looks more like a hand-drawn sketch than one you print from a Flash game. The black-and-white style helps enforce this idea, but it also make the game look nicer overall.

While the game isn't one that will keep you from playing your MMORPGs all day, it's great when you want to annoy someone with stupid portraits on their desk (or caricatures, if you are so inclined), and is a good Flash to keep in your reserves when you're bored one day.

[YOUR FACE (full)]

Excellent Job

As someone who enjoyed the original version of "Your Face," I greatly enjoyed this expansion to the original game. I didn't really think that the "light version" (as it is now called) could be expanded on, but the author certainly found a way to make the game 10 times better than it was!

First off, the original game was great, in that it was a fun, gadget-like game that allowed you to make a quick picture of some guy, print it out, send it to a friend, etc. The game was simple, but cleanly made, and had tons of replay value. It was definitely something I didn't want to forget. Now, the additions of the game make an originally great game greater. I'll cover each new feature on its own below:

E-mail: The "print" feature was great, as I was able to print out the face I made and tape it to a co-worker's monitor whenever I wanted. Now, I can bombard their inboxes, too!

Webcam feature: This feature is GREAT. It adds so much more opportunity to the game and the ability to screw around with people's faces. I don't really need to explain how much potential this has (if you've played with Photo Booth in Mac OS X, you certainly know). It is a disappointment that you cannot e-mail in webcam mode, but I am sure there is some limitation that prevents this. At least you can still print, though!

Challenge mode: Who would've thought you could turn something like this into a game? The challenge mode is a great lunchtime diversion and a great mini-game for those quick breaks in your day (similar to The Timewaster). I didn't have much time to play it myself, but the "match the face" game mechanic is extremely easy to understand, and ultimately comes down to quick reflexes and knowing the "rotation" of the different facial objects. I can see someone getting addicted to this on their lunch hour easily.

One other thing that I should mention is how good the artwork of this game is. While this is not different from the previous "light" version of the game, it adds a lot to it. The black-and-white theme is actually a boost to the game style (color would take away the simplicity of it all), and the hand-drawn style of the game is very pleasing to the eye.

Overall, the original was very clean, well programmed, very nicely drawn and animated, and a good gadget. However, now, "Your Face" is definitely grown into something bigger that will keep people playing it again and again.

finefin responds:

thank you very much for this detailed review, man!

As for the webcam-email-disappointment: you're right, theres no comfortable way to mail the picture that was shot by webcam (if anyone out there knows a way that can be made with ActionScript 2.0, please tell me!) - the easiest way is to take a screenshot. wait... if you take a screenshot, please let me see it!

[The Timewaster]

Completely Awesome...Need more!

I can't believe I didn't write a review for this sooner! I've had this game in my top 5 since you submitted it last year, because I keep coming back to it! Everything you did, especially your unique style (thanks to everything being hand-drawn), makes this game a winner:

Gameplay - The gameplay is ridiculously simple, but hey...it's supposed to be. The game does exactly what it is supposed to do, which is waste your time. Nothing too engrossing, nothing too elaborate, but enough to get your attention and placate you for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Graphics - The graphics are top-notch, to say the least. This flash pretty much proves that anyone that wants to seriously be involved with flash needs a tablet.

Animations - Your animations are EXTREMELY smooth and pleasing to the eye. A good example is the "Test Completed" sign that comes up after winning a test. It's not that the animations themselves are anything extremely spectacular, but they are definitely up to par for a top-notch flash.

Sound - I definitely like your choice of music, and even after looping the music for 10 minutes, it doesn't really get too old. After an hour, I'd probably kill myself, but then again, if you have that much time to waste, you should not be playing this game to span the entire period of it...

Humor - Your humor wasn't the world's greatest, but you certainly have your moments. Suffice it to say that after spending all the time it takes to get to the final test, I wasn't disappointed and got a good chuckle.

As you can see, overall, the game is a slam-dunk. In fact, there is only one thing bad about this game:

Replayability - Let's face it...the game isn't replayable unless you go away and forget it for at least 2 months. Even then, it's pushing it. However, I do find myself coming back to the game again and again, so while replayability in the short-run is nonexistent, it'll stick around as a good one-timer play when you need something to waste your time.

So, after playing this game 3-4 times since you submitted it, I am still extremely pleased, but still wanting more. That being said, let's get a sequel going, huh?? :-)

Thanks again for the great submission, as your timewaster will always be there for the slackers out there. :-)

RatherRandomReality responds:

A review like that is always a pleasure to read, especially when it comes from a hardcore newgrounder like you. All I can say is thank you for the kind words. I am actually working on a sequel, but it will probably not be finished soon. I have ideas that cannot express yet, due to my not so great actionscripting abilities. But I'm working on it. "The Timewaster Ultra" will appear on newgrounds one day! Thanks for your time again.

[- WiggiNaut -]

Excellent Game!

I was very pleased with this Wiggi World, game, as it is simple, yet has an interesting premise, and can be challenging.

The graphics are very good and earn top marks. The physics of the ship and even the rope connecting the astronaut Wiggi to the ship were very good and aesthetically pleasing.

The gameplay was simple, yet good. The collision detection was good, and the two-control playing style made the game interesting enough to keep you on your toes. Managing a WASD character and a mouse-driven character at the same time isn't a new way of controlling a flash game, but it is definitely not always common.

For the intended age group, this game wins top marks. For Newgrounds, it doesn't earn top marks, but it is definitely a well-made game that deserves recognition.

Good job!

[Amorphous]

Great Game

I must say, I was rather intrigued by this game, as it was a lot of fun to play and surprisingly addicting. However, even though the game is quite polished, there are constructive criticisms I can give to hopefully improve the game above what it is already:

Graphics - Graphics are quite plain, but polished. The animation in the game is quite polished and the relatively high framerate is pleasing to the eye. No one said that plain needs to equal poor when it comes to graphics, and yours certainly isn't. In fact, a lot of the charm comes from the fact that the enemies are simple yet complex at the same time.

Style - The gameplay is refreshing. The "follow the mouse" character system is very simple, yet offers very good gameplay. The only problem I foresaw in the style of this game is the inherent long gameplay in trying to destroy over 300 enemies. Also, the fact that destroying a difficult enemy is equal to destroying an easy one doesn't help, especially since some of the harder ones will give chase.

If I had to improve the game, I would allow harder Glooples to count for more points. You can change the meter to "Glooples Left" to "Nest Power." That way, it makes sense, and you can get what you deserve for killing off that three-hit eat-you-up Gloople. I'd also recommend some basic powerups that would allow you stronger hits (for the hard ones) or shields that protect you from one attack. It's quite depressing to get through 300 Glooples only to be gang-attacked by three three-hit Glooples only to be eaten up, despite your best efforts. The powerups don't need to be powerful, just enough to give a skillful player a chance to beat the unsurmountable odds in those cases.

Violence: It's there, it's pretty, it's good. Nothing else needs to be said.

Interactivity: Like I said above, the "follow-the-mouse" style is great. The only recommendation I have for this is to allow you to move slightly faster or slower based on how far the mouse is away from the character. The speed difference doesn't have to be much, but it would be enough to give the ability to "run" or "walk" in cases where each are necesary.

Humor: I gave a 5 for humor, even though this game is not meant for it. Some of the Gloople's deaths are a bit funny, and I think it's an added bonus to the game.

Overall: The game gets an 8/10 overall, as it is quite polished. The slight recommendations I made aren't hard ones to implement, but they will definitely brighten up the gameplay and make it more of a game of skill, and less of a game of chance. You can count on me playing this game again!

Best of luck to you and your flash!

[HG Modder]

Great First Submission

Well, for a first submission, you're certainly off to a great start! There's a lot that was done right here and a lot of places where you can take this idea to new levels:

Graphics: VERY clean. As far as your animation style goes, I can't say anything to give you advice, as you obviously know what you're doing. My only recommendation is to take it a bit further and go for cool backgrounds and other options around the area. A good idea would be to have a "showoff mode" where you can use different backdrops and maybe lighting.

Style: Awesome! The whole create-a-ride flash hasn't really died out over all this time, and the muscle-car hasn't really been properly represented in this. You can do so much with this idea to really make it a great flash. My best recommendation would be to let the person drive their customized car around a small city or something with some nice muscle-car sounds and tire screeches. While that would take a lot of time to develop, it might be a good collab idea. Definitely Daily Feature material.

Sound: None, so no points given. Then again, the only "sounds" I could think of for this flash at the current time is background music and maybe "tool sounds" when you install the parts. It's the little additions of sound that make a flash go far.

Violence: None included, none needed.

Interactivity: I gave a lower score here since the flash don't have a lot of options yet. The best way to take this further is to add cars and more customizations. Also, one of the options, the "logo-less grill," was not working. If you wanted expand on interactivity, that would be the best place to start.

Humor: None. Then again, muscle-cars are meant to be badass, not cool.

Overall: Great start! It's refreshing to see a nice, clean flash from a new submitter. I'd love to see your ideas go further like I said above, especially with a small "driving mode," as that would really take the game further. However, as it is, it is worth a high score. Congratulations and best of luck with your future flash!

random12395 responds:

champion! awesome review mate, respect for the time ya put in!
Thanks for the great ideas. A lot of ppl think that being able to drive is important so that’s definitely on the cards for next time. im making a list of these ideas and like 10 came from you. So thanks heaps.

[600Volt Car]

Great Concept

This is definitely a great game idea that I'd love to see developed further, because I think you've come across a refreshing style of flash games. However, there is a lot that needs to be worked on in this game:

Graphics: The graphics is a novel idea, as Google Maps is a great source of a layout. The problem is that the car you control is much larger than actual cars in the game. A good idea to take this further would be to zoom in on the map and allow the screen to scroll as the car travels across the area. This would actually make it GTA-like and provide a tested-and-true game style.

Style: The style is definitely great. Like I said above, the GTA-style game was well-loved and would work great for a flash. As far as gameplay goes, while the game idea is simple, it's a great baseline to work off of. A recommended take on this would be races across a region, going through highways and side streets to reach checkpoints in the area. You can also take the delivery idea further and make it a "pizza delivery guy" type of game where you need to find your destination via radar.

Sound: No sound yet, so I couldn't give points on it. Recommended sounds would be simple backbeats and maybe tire screeching and engine revving.

Violence: None included, none necessary.

Interactivity: The gameplay style is nice, but there are two major problems. The first is the finicky clipping that the game has. While it's unreasonable to be able to drive over cars, the pathways are rather small through the parking lot, making it very hard to maneuver. While this may be the goal of the game, it can get annoying and tedious. I'd recommend what I said above and make the map larger, making the car a proper size according to the road.

Humor: Not intended for this flash, not necessary.

Overall: Great start! I gave this flash 2/5 as it is definitely protection-worthy. However, work does need to be done to make the flash a true winner. Give the flash time, work on on the incidentals and a more robust gameplay, and you might have yourself an award-winning flash on the way. Best of luck!

[SANTA TOWN]

Wonderful Game

Let's see...

- Great Graphics - Very clean look, excellent use of Flash drawing tools
- Great Animations - Super-smooth, the way a flash should be
- Great Music - Good NG Audio Portal selection!
- Wonderful Gameplay - A nice twist on the traditional "Missile Command" style game, with a flair similar to the "keep up the ball" flashes. It's quite addicting to get your guns back to 15 on all stats.

My only critique - it seems that, especially once you are fully pumpted up, a hit with your blast only moves the snowballs, it doesn't actually destroy them. It takes many hits to do so. I am not sure if this was intended or not. If so, it's all good. :-)

This flash deserves at LEAST a high score. If you don't get at least one award, I will be quite surprised. Great game! Please keep up your flash world and contribute more to NG!

FlashBurgerHelper responds:

the balls just get so powerful by the end by the time they die they've been pushed out of the screen lol.

this entry wont get an award since its score is so low. ohwell thats the breaks lol

thanks for the review

[Gone fishing penguin game]

Not a bad first try

I enjoy the concept, but the gameplay is a bit slow. Waiting for the penguin to jump takes forever. If you die and need to continue, it does take a very long time. I would recommend increasing the framerate, as it will improve the game by a lot. While it is important to keep a game paced down so humans can actually play it, it's important to keep the pace lively enough to make humans enjoy it.

Otherwise, the game isn't too bad. You have a decent game on your hands...just speed it up a bit.

Good luck with your flash!